Why eating habits during pregnancy can have a positive lifelong influence

Want your newborn to be receptive to healthy eating? Start developing a positive influence early in your pregnancy. Recent research has suggested that what a woman eats during her pregnancy may influence the baby’s food preferences out of the womb.

As early as 4-5 months after conception, the fetus develops a sense of taste and smell; flavors from the mother’s diet are transmitted to the fetus via the amniotic fluid during pregnancy. Similar results were found in breast milk. The taste and smell memory of the foods the mother consumes stays with the fetus after birth. This can influence the preferences for foods or odors over the lifetime of a child.

So, if you want your baby to eat his or her veggies, then eat them yourself. This won’t guarantee your baby will love broccoli the first time, but there is a much better chance that he or she will develop healthy food habits early on that can last a lifetime.